U.S. citizen Edward Joseph Levinson, 84, was found dead in the Ajijic apartment where he lived early Monday, July 6.
Based on evidence discovered at the scene, officials at the Chapala Ministerio Público (district attorney’s office) have ruled the death as a probable suicide, pending results of the autopsy required by law.
Levinson had lived alone at the Las Casitas apartment complex for the past 17 years, according to management. Hand-written notes leaving instructions for funeral arrangements and other personal matters were found near his body by cleaning staff who entered the premises around 9:30 a.m. The missives were dated July 2 and conditions of the corpse indicated that death had occurred around that date.
Another foreign resident of the complex said that Levinson had little social interaction with his neighbors. However, he was on friendly speaking terms with a Mexican businessman who sells cantera stone work next door. He revealed that the native New Yorker was known to teach English to local children and give generous financial support to lakeside charities that care for orphaned and indigent youngsters.
The MP agent in charge of the case reported that the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara has been duly notified and is now pursuing steps to locate Levinson’s next of kin.